Renovation gets friendly reaction from some near confines

Abby Lochotzki and Nic Cross, who live near Wrigley Field, eat lunch at Murphy's Bleachers at the corner of Sheffield and Waveland avenues. (Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune)

Some expressed doubts, some expressed praise, but residents and workers near Wrigley Field seemed to mostly support the $500 million renovation plan announced Sunday.

An assistant manager at Wrigleyville Sports, just across from the stadium, thought that the changes — particularly the addition of a hotel — would bring more customers into his sports apparel store.

"Sometimes it's like a ghost town here," David Colon said of the offseason months. "I think (the hotel) will bring more customers."

Jay Schwartz, manager of Strange Cargo Tees, said his 2-decade-old business also stands to gain from the plan. "Wrigley Field is a tourist attraction. A hotel and more modern amenities at the ballpark would be a huge economic boon to the neighborhood," Schwartz said.

Bradley Rosen, a partner at Sports World, just across from the iconic Wrigley entrance, said that he couldn't comment fully because he was still learning the details of the plan. Yet he didn't think the hotel would be "that big of a deal" in bringing new customers.

"We're Cubs fans, and we're excited to play into it," Rosen said.

But he also questioned the need for proposed shops, such as a Cubs merchandise store planned for inside the Captain Morgan Club on Addison Street. "Are they taking away from other businesses?" he said.

Greg Street, a baseball fan from Australia who was visiting the stadium for the first time, said he found the renovation plan sad.

"I'm big on tradition," said Street, whose son is a pitcher for a college baseball team in Texas. "But I guess it's inevitable."

Street put the field on par with Fenway Park in Boston and the old Yankee Stadium in New York. "It's got some kind of aura about it," he said.

That sentiment was echoed by Erin Neary, 27, a lifelong Cubs fan who said she moved into her apartment just outside of left field to be near her favorite team.

"I think it will look out of place and take the old-time feel out, trying to modernize it," Neary said.

She acknowledged the plan was a good way to bring more money to the area. But Neary worried that the planned video screen might be placed in front of her partial view of the stadium and change the dynamic of her game-watching.

Scott Mulvanny, general manager of Yak-Zies bar, said those who allude to the historical significance of the stadium are missing the larger picture.

"It's not gonna change anything," Mulvanny said. "What history are they talking about? There have been ... states that have entered the union since (the Cubs) last won a World Series (in 1908). The Titanic hadn't even been built yet.